(REVIEW) Console Archives: Ninja Gaiden II The Dark Sword of Chaos

by Gamatroid 🕹️ 

 

And once again, the battle of the Dragon Ninja begins... "NINJA GAIDEN II: THE DARK SWORD OF CHAOS" was released by TECMO in 1990 for an 8-bit home console. In this side-scrolling action game, the Dragon Ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, fights with his clan's legendary Dragon Sword against Ashtar and his Sword of Chaos to stop the resurrection of an evil god.

 

 GAME FACTS

• TITLE: Console Archives: Ninja Gaiden II
• RELEASE DATE: 2/5/2026
• MSRP: $7.99
• DEVELOPER: HAMSTER
• PUBLISHER: HAMSTER
• PLATFORMS: PlayStation and Switch
• PLAYED ON: PlayStation 5

 

 

The title gained worldwide popularity for the thrill of conquering demanding stages with ninja actions, combined with cinematic "Tecmo Theater" cutscenes that look just like a movie.

 

 

 

Gameplay revolves around a 2D cinematic puzzle-platformer structure with no traditional side-scrolling. Progression occurs screen-by-screen, often requiring leaps of faith between static scenes. The core loop combines precise platforming (jumping, climbing, grabbing ledges), environmental puzzles (manipulating valves, lifts, steam vents), high-tension chase sequences from robotic enemies, and hacking mechanics. 

 

 

 

RETRO ROOTS

Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in May 1990 in North America (slightly earlier in Japan). 

I can't recall when I first played it, but I think it must have been a rental. I remember falling in love with the cutscenes and the overall story. I swear I had the Nintendo Power strategy guide at some point, but I don't have it anymore.

I remember the actual gameplay being fairly painful and very difficult, but I loved the cutscenes so much I would put up with the rest of the game in order to unlock the next part of the story.

All these years later though, I love the game itself too, although I still love the cutscenes more.

But I wasn't the only one who loved it. Critics were also in love with Ninja Gaiden II. Just look at the below review from EGM back in the day:

REVIEW

This is a critique of the overall quality and accuracy of the game port, not the original game itself. 

Gameplay & Mechanics

Mostly the controls work just as you would expect, with a slight lag to the input that is common in many emulations of classic games. Not terrible mind you, but not as snappy as the original NES interface (I went back to play my original NES version just to verify). But if you haven't played an original NES in a while you won't notice the difference.

 

Visuals & Art Direction 

If you've ever played an Arcade Archives release, you know what to expect from the various screen filters. The "A" set of filters apply varying degrees of blurring and scanlines, while the "B" filters also apply scanbars, which I really don't enjoy. I think I tend to stick to either the A2 or A3 filter, if that helps narrow it down for you. Other than the filters, everything else look accurate.

Story & Narrative

No changes here. All is just as great as the original you know and love.

 

Audio & Music

Audio is mostly exactly as you remember it, except... there is an audio channel that is oddly more pronounced in this release than in any other release I've played, including online emulation, and it also sounds slightly different than the NES original. I play this game a lot though, so I immediately picked up on it. If you haven't played in quite a while you likely won't even notice.

Technical Performance

From what I can tell the game performs amazingly, with all the same flicker and slow down you experienced in the NES original. Trust me this is a good thing.

 

Innovation & Originality

As far as originality for an emulation release, all of the Arcade (and now Console) Archive games seem pretty lacking in this regard to me. I would never expect an Atari 50 Digital Eclipse-style treatment for every game released, but including scans of actual manuals instead of simple onscreen text would be nice, as would scans of the original box art and other little touches like that. Other than the standard scanline filters, and common QoL stuff like save states, this is a pretty straightforward release. Not bad mind you, but not pushing the envelope either.

  

Value vs Price

For $7.99, the game feels a bit barebones. For full price you still get one of the greatest games ever released on the NES, and you also get the Japanese version as well (although the game is virtually identical except you can't understand the text in the cutscenes). I certainly think the game's full price is at the top of what they should be able to charge for games like this, but if you aren't dying to play the game immediately you might wait for a sale. To me, it's a much better bargain at $4.99 or below (although I did pay full price for it.)

VERDICT

For one of the very first Console Archive releases, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos is certainly a competent release. Everything is just as you would expect if you ever played an Arcade Archives release.

The retail price is just a bit higher than I would feel comfortable with, given the barebones nature of this release, but that's a small complaint. 

The only thing that's a bit strange is that accentuated audio channel that doesn't sound like that in any other release of the game I've played. Honestly I forgot about it after playing for a bit, but if you play other versions of it regularly, you will likely notice it right away. Not terrible mind you, but just odd that it's not 100% accurate. Maybe they'll patch it out one of these days. 

Overall, this is one of the greatest video games ever made, and if you don't have another way to play it, you should pick this up.

You can watch my beginning gameplay, and a brief walkthrough of the menu options, of Console Archives - Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos on PS5 in the YouTube video below:

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